Any psychologists out there...
willtri
Posts: 436
in General Chat
So here's the problem...
My first year of tri and i'm loving it. Apart from one part of my training...
Swim training in a pool
My best training is when i'm going somewhere - i've got a commute or a circluar route.
It clicked yesterday that that was the problem with my swim training - i just find it so boring going back and forwards back and forwards back and forwards back and forwards back and forwards......
It cliked due to two things
1. I love training in a lake - it's just i can't get to a lake all the time
2. I was doing hill repeats yesterday on the bike and just got bored after a while - much like swim training.
So... Does anyone have the same problem - and know of any way i can trick my brain into thinking i'm not plodding up and down a pool.
I need to get this sorted as my swimming is really letting me down.
Cheers,
Will.
My first year of tri and i'm loving it. Apart from one part of my training...
Swim training in a pool
My best training is when i'm going somewhere - i've got a commute or a circluar route.
It clicked yesterday that that was the problem with my swim training - i just find it so boring going back and forwards back and forwards back and forwards back and forwards back and forwards......
It cliked due to two things
1. I love training in a lake - it's just i can't get to a lake all the time
2. I was doing hill repeats yesterday on the bike and just got bored after a while - much like swim training.
So... Does anyone have the same problem - and know of any way i can trick my brain into thinking i'm not plodding up and down a pool.
I need to get this sorted as my swimming is really letting me down.
Cheers,
Will.
0
Comments
I am making a rash assumption that you're doing your pool training in a public session. Usually these sessions take the form of plodding up and down at varying speeds from slow to manic, when what you need is to swim WITH people and mix the session up a bit.
If you're in with a set of people doing structured sets and are all aiming to do the same things, you will motivate each other and improve no end to the bargain.
Additionally, if you're not already you need to mix the session up a bit. A common technique is to get in, swim endless lengths front crawl at the same pace, get fed up and get out. By changing sets (fast/slow/etc) and importantly the strokes you will keep motivated and massively improve strength and fitness in the water.
The best way by far to do all this is by joining a masters swim club (predictable answer I know).
Can recommend it enough.
Hope this helps.
Good luck.
Swim with swimmers... this has made the single biggest difference to my swimming (twice).
1) when I first took up Tri I hadn't swum since I was 13, so over 10 years but all my training sessions were with my next door neighbour and increasingly with his water polo club. I just went along and tried (ad usually failed) to keep up. but their wide variety of sets really helped buildmy confidence.
2) more recently I joined my local masters swim club. The masters focus on slightly shorter sets than are ideal for my training, but the opportunity to train in a group and to race against peole has been the best way of dispelling the boredom for me! Plus being forced to race and train in all 4 strokes has no end of benefit when you go back to swimming crawl on your normal sessions.
You'll find the performance squad of swim clubs are formed of young racing snakes doing 15 hours a week sessions in order to race swim galas.
Masters sessions on the other hand are typically for 25yrs upwards with no limit (there's a 78 year old fella at ours). Ability standards differ from ex-competitive swimmers who just want to stay fit and fastish but can't keep up with the youngsters (or don't have the time) any more to people completely new to swimming who want to improve and anything in between.
But the advantage is you get a structured, session with people of similar ability usually with a coach who will set and control the session and will offer advice/improvement tips to the swimmers.
I've never been to any club in my swimming career that wouldn't allow an unsure potential new member to come along for free to at least a couple of sessions to see what it's about and if they like it.
This way you'll get a proper swim session without any Doris plodding along trying to prevent her hair from getting wet!